If the flight chaos hasn’t managed to put you off and you have flights booked for this great occasion, then consider these points when entering the country for the first time.

• Make sure you are inoculated and have had vaccinations against the chances of catching a number of serious diseases while out there. Be sure to check with your GP.
• Take a first aid kit with you as medical facilities, especially in rural areas, aren’t always up to what you’d expect.
• Only drink bottled water as the local tap water may not be suitable to drink.
• Always keep an eye on your belongings, cash and stick to the main tourist areas as crime is rife in this country.
• Finally, be sure to purchase travel insurance that covers you for the trip. Oh and let’s hope for an England win!

Many England football fans were today warned that the strikes planned by British Airways may prevent them from going to the World Cup tournament in South Africa.

This bad news was delivered by experts in the travel industry who said that BA customers would be the ones to lose out in the battle between the airline and the union, Unite.

As the strikes are to be carried out over the mid-term school break, those who had booked holidays with this operator would also be affected.

If you are due to fly out to South Africa or go on holiday between the following dates, your flight may be affected by the walkouts by cabin crew; May 18-22, May 24-28, May 30-June 3 and June 5-9.

Last night I finally got round to booking my trip to New Zealand, but it wasn’t without its difficulties. There is quite a lot of choice these days when it comes to operators flying out of Manchester (most via London) to Auckland, so it took a while to get the best deal.

While searching for flights I did the usual search on flight comparison sites and found a couple of bargains that seemed too good to be true. Well, in the end I came to the conclusion that they were. After a quick Google search on the travel operators, many people said the same kind of thing: do not use this travel agent!

So, after discounting some of the best bargains on these sites, I began to look for quality of service and the flights that closely met the time I wanted to fly out there. After much deliberation it came between Singapore Airlines (who seem to be the carrier of choice for many) and Emirates (cheaper than most). In the end, I plumped for the former as I decided to compromise on price and go for comfort instead.

I have been to New York now too many times to mention. I’m not sure exactly what keeps drawing me back to this overcrowded and hectic city, but maybe it is a fascination with the lifestyle of its inhabitants.

If you go to stay in Manhattan during the cold winter months you will get quite a surprise. Yes, it is great for Christmas shopping and the fairytale image as seen in the movies is still certainly true, however it is bitterly cold and can get very windy around the shoreline of the Hudson River.

Like this time, I prefer to go at the end of the summer season, at the start of September. It won’t be as hot and humid as the sticky summer months but should still be warm enough to do plenty of outside activities and find things to do.

As I’m travelling with friends who have never been to the city before, it should be a really good trip and a bit different (I’ve still never done some of the more touristy things like go up the Empire State Building).

For those who thought the Icelandic volcanic ash crisis which has affected air traffic over the past few weeks was over; then think again.

Today, many thousands of passengers have been facing long flight delays due to the risk from a fresh cloud of ash affecting a number of airports in Scotland and Ireland.

Flights have been grounded in Glasgow, Dublin, Prestwick, Derry, Edinburgh and Belfast during the course of the day as the authorities continue to monitor the level of threat to the airspace.

If you are due to travel to or from one of these airports this week, it is important to check with the airport first before setting out.